Governance

Message from Kevin Jessar, Corporate Ombudsman, American Red Cross

Congress and the American people entrust us every day to assist people in their hour of maximum need. The Office of the Corporate Ombudsman, a cornerstone of the deep commitment the American Red Cross has to excellence in public service and high ethical standards, provides a confidential, neutral place for people to voice their concerns with the Red Cross, its programs, policies or its ability to effectively meet its mission. We are charged under the American National Red Cross Governance Modernization Act of 2007 to enhance dispute resolution at the Red Cross and to identify trends and patterns confronting the organization.

The Red Cross is a large and complex organization, and it can feel overwhelming to find a way to make your voice heard. I encourage you to contact us if you are unsure where or how to start addressing a concern or if you are uncomfortable seeking assistance from other offices. We will help you clarify the issues, identify options and think strategically about how you can best raise and most constructively resolve the issues of concern to you.

I look forward to serving the entire Red Cross community. Whether you are an employee or a disaster or chapter volunteer, a partner who helps us to provide services, a blood donor or a blood recipient, or a customer of any other Red Cross services, my office is open to you.

Here is a brief update of the things our office has been working on since I recently arrived, and some of what you can expect to see from us in the coming weeks and months.

We have—

• Improved and streamlined case intake and case handling protocols and practices;
• Created a compelling vision statement, mission statement and strategic plan; 
• Explored ways to design integrated conflict management systems to optimize how volunteers and employees can raise issues or concerns;
• Collaborated with business lines and functional departments to provide conflict resolution skill building;
• Educated staff at management team meetings and all-hands meetings in various business lines across the Red Cross;
• Met with Congressional staff to explain the role of the Ombudsman; and
• Developed a deliberate outreach and communication strategy, so that we can be a resource to more of you.

We will—

• Update our materials and provide access to them via RedCross.org;
• Get first-hand exposure to Red Cross activities by visiting chapters, Blood Regions and SAF stations and by deploying for disaster operations;
• Offer brown-bag lunches focused on specific topics of interest to staff;
• Issue our Annual Report in early November; and
• Improve our processes to capture data on patterns and trends for upward feedback to leadership in a way that does not compromise confidentiality or identify any individuals.

For more information on our office, please see our Charter with the American Red Cross. You can contact us directly by phone at (202) 303-5399 or 1-866-667-9331 (toll-free), by fax at (202) 639-9825, or by email at ombudsman@usa.redcross.org. Please remember that given the nature of electronic communications, we cannot ensure the absolute confidentiality of email communications.

I look forward to working with many of you and pledge to work hard to build an office that is worthy of your confidence, candor and trust.